Citation:

LOWRY, J., W. G. KEPNER, K. BOYKIN, K. THOMAS, D. SCHRUPP, AND P. COMER. SOUTHWEST REGIONAL GAP LAND COVER. Presented at USGS US Mexico Borderland Workshop, Tucson, AZ, March 20 - 23, 2007.

Impact/Purpose:

The primary objectives of this research are to:

Develop methodologies so that landscape indicator values generated from different sensors on different dates (but in the same areas) are comparable; differences in metric values result from landscape changes and not differences in the sensors;

Quantify relationships between landscape metrics generated from wall-to-wall spatial data and (1) specific parameters related to water resource conditions in different environmental settings across the US, including but not limited to nutrients, sediment, and benthic communities, and (2) multi-species habitat suitability;

Develop and validate multivariate models based on quantification studies;

Develop GIS/model assessment protocols and tools to characterize risk of nutrient and sediment TMDL exceedence;

Complete an initial draft (potentially web based) of a national landscape condition assessment.

This research directly supports long-term goals established in ORDs multiyear plans related to GPRA Goal 2 (Water) and GPRA Goal 4 (Healthy Communities and Ecosystems), although funding for this task comes from Goal 4. Relative to the GRPA Goal 2 multiyear plan, this research is intended to "provide tools to assess and diagnose impairment in aquatic systems and the sources of associated stressors." Relative to the Goal 4 Multiyear Plan this research is intended to (1) provide states and tribes with an ability to assess the condition of waterbodies in a scientifically defensible and representative way, while allowing for aggregation and assessment of trends at multiple scales, (2) assist Federal, State and Local managers in diagnosing the probable cause and forecasting future conditions in a scientifically defensible manner to protect and restore ecosystems, and (3) provide Federal, State and Local managers with a scientifically defensible way to assess current and future ecological conditions, and probable causes of impairments, and a way to evaluate alternative future management scenarios.

Description:

The Gap Analysis Program is a national inter-agency program that maps the distribution

of plant communities and selected animal species and compares these distributions with land

stewardship to identify gaps in biodiversity protection. GAP uses remote satellite imagery

(Landsat 7) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to assemble and view large

amounts of biological and land management data to identify areas where conservation efforts

may not be sufficient to maintain diversity of living natural resources. Historically, GAP has

been conducted by individual states. However, this has resulted in inconsistencies in mapped

distributions of vegetation types and animal habitat across state lines because of differences in

mapping and modeling protocols. This was further compounded from the lack of a national

vegetation classification nomenclature. In response to these limitations, GAP embarked on a

second-generation effort to conduct the program at a regional scale using 1) a vegetation

classification scheme applicable across the U.S.; 2) ecoregional units as the basis for segmenting

the landscape into manageable units; and 3) inter-agency investigator teams with land-cover

analysis and environmental protection expertise. The program's first formalized multi-state effort

includes five Southwestern states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah), which

comprise 535,175 square miles or nearly one-fifth of the conterminous United States.

Record Details: